The Joys of Boxing

I began one of the most rewarding experiences of my life a few weeks ago. I started learning how to box. I have only had a few lessons, but it has already had an enormous impact upon me. My dad was a boxer when he was younger and I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but he refused to let me start the sport. During his boxing days, he once saw a fighter violently killed in the ring and it turned him away from the sport forever. He hung up his gloves that day and never stepped into the ring again. Of course his response, although understandable, does not make a whole lot of sense. When someone is killed in a sport, any sport, it is definitely a tragedy, but it does not validate a blanket condemnation of the whole sport itself. People have died in all kinds of sports, not just boxing. I tried to show him the folly of his decision, but he never backed down. So I was never able to start boxing for my self. Until now that is.

I have a neighbor who boxed in the Air Force for a number of years. He still has the physique of a heavy weight fighter. His shoulders are wide, his arms are muscled and his stocky stature outweighs mine by about sixty pounds. I knew he used to be a boxer (his son and I are good friends), but for some reason it never clicked for me ask him to train me. Silly of me I know. It’s amazing how we often overlook opportunities that are right in front of us. Well the other day I was at his house talking with him and the subject turned to boxing. I wanted his opinion on who would win in a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The two fighters are the crème de la crème of boxing right now and a fight between them is heavily anticipated. He thought Mayweather would win the fight easily and I agreed. The reasoning being that Mayweather is simply too fast and too well trained to be beaten by Pacquiao.

From there, the discussion turned to my own personal regret at never learning how to box. I told him my dad’s feelings about the sport and how it had prevented me from ever learning it. “Well,” he said, “Do you still want to learn?” “Of course,” I replied, “But I don’t have the money to sign up at a gym right now.” “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll train you.” “You can pay me five dollars a week after you’ve had a few lessons.” Looking carefully at me he added, “We’ll start tomorrow morning at nine.”

I was ecstatic. I’m too old for my dad to ban me from learning and just to reassure him anyways, I told him that it would simply be a form of exercise and I had no intention of entering the ring for a fight. I showed up at my friend’s dad’s house at eight forty-five to begin my first lesson. It was brief but intense. I never knew how much work and training goes into boxing. It seems like there’s a million things you have to do at once: maintain your stance, breathe properly, move your feet, keep your hands up, counter a punch, protect your body, bob and weave…. It’s insane. Boxing is like an exercise in multitasking. You have to do several things at once and you have to do them well. And if you don’t or you’re not in the right shape, then your technique falters and you get knocked out. One thing that has surprised me about the sport though is how much of the fight depends on what’s going on in your head rather than what’s going on with your fists.

For most people (myself included) physical altercations are messy affairs. The majority of individual fights are quick scuffles that either end in possible injury or simply a loss of pride. There’s an initial flurry of blows by both parties, usually without aim or reason, and eventually one person might land a lucky punch that ends the fight or both parties withdraw with their health intact but too tired and winded to continue. Boxing is nothing like that. It’s like a chess game with yours and your opponents bodies encompassing all the pieces. Every punch is a strategic decision. Plus you don’t go into the fight expecting it to end quickly unless you far outclass your opponent. And even then it’d be foolish not to train adequately regardless. Expounding further on the chess analogy, how efficiently you use your pieces (your fists, your torso, your shoulders, etc.) is less important than how efficiently you use your mind. Learning this lesson, at times at the cost of a well placed punch to the chin during a sparring session, has radically changed my view of the sport.

But that’s not all that’s changed. When I first started training, I would get easily flustered when my trainer would slap at me casually after I threw a jab. Or I would panic as I saw his punches heading towards me. But over time I’ve learned to stay calm and resolute. To stay in the pocket as the blows come and counter them without losing my head or my technique. Not to be afraid of taking a punch and to move my feet and my body to protect myself while staying aggressive. I’ve slowly learned how to master my natural inclination to flinch and recoil from a punch instead of remaining unruffled even under the most severe of flurries. There’s so much more that I’ve learned, but I lack the space to write it all. Boxing is a tremendous sport. It teaches discipline, concentration, and alertness. Not to mention increased self-confidence. I wish I had started when I was younger. It’s ok though. The man training me started at 22 so I’m not too far off. I don’t know whether I’ll ever step into the ring to face an opponent, but I do know that boxing can teach me lessons I can take with me for the rest of my life. For that reason alone I plan to continue it for the foreseeable future. Besides, it feels too good and teaches me too much for me to do otherwise.